History VideoGame / StrangersWrath

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/strangerswrathcover.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"[[Film/Robocop1987 Dead or alive, your ass is coming with me]]."]]

->''Fierce is the Spirit of Her Waters\\
She creates us, binds us - Flows in us\\
The Fool who dare enslave Her\\
Beware She wash his life away''
-->--'''Native Grubb Proverb'''

''Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath'' is a spin-off of the ''VideoGame/{{Oddworld}}'' franchise. In contrast to previous games, you play as the enigmatic and eponymous "Stranger," a gruff-voiced bounty hunter roaming the land looking for outlaws to hunt down and bring to justice--dead or alive. The gameplay is quite unique for switching between third-person platforming, and first-person shooting, along with its distinct ''Oddworld'' charm like the strange and bizarre residents, the crude humour, and that the Stranger uses live critters as ammo, among other weirdness.

It was originally released for the original UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} in 2005 and was later ported to other systems over the years such as the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita, the UsefulNotes/{{Ouya}}, Windows (through UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}), iOS, Android, and the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.
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!!This video game contains examples of:
* AbnormalAmmo: The Stranger, who uses critters he finds as ammo.
* ActionizedSequel: None of the Oddworld games prior to this had Abe or Munch directly fighting from the start, usually enlisting the help of other creatures in some form in order to take out enemies. Stranger, however, is ''much'' more directly capable than either of those two, being a LightningBruiser and OneManArmy.
* AllForNothing: The Doc's surgery for Stranger requires a fee of 20,000 Moolah, which is one of (if not the main) reasons why the Stranger had to go on bounty hunting. [[spoiler:Unfortunately mid-game, the Doc is killed just as Stranger is on his way to the place.]]
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Averted; Doc, despite belonging to a species known for being {{Evilutionary Biologist}}s, is not a villainous figure and is simply a doctor offering his services (albeit for extortionate prices). So far, though, played straight with the Wolvarks, although they're more [[PunchClockVillain Punch Clock Villains]].
** Theres a friendlier Outlaw Informant named Skuz that also appears, giving Outlaw a password and get at Packrat Palooka.
* AntiHero: Stranger might bring in criminals for a living, [[GoodIsNotNice but that does NOT mean he's a nice guy]]. His way of getting the Sky Carts in Mongo Valley running? Assaulting then threatening the operator. He also has no qualms about [[spoiler: feeding said criminals to his ammo-making bag in the second half of the game.]]
* ArtisticLicenseBiology: ''Stranger's Wrath'' never explains [[spoiler: how Stranger manages to walk on two legs despite being built like a centaur, let alone how he manages to cram what is essentially a small pony's body into human-size/shape trousers and boots.]] However, it can be justified as either BizarreAlienBiology or an AcceptableBreakFromReality.
* ArtisticLicensePhysics: Additionally, his ability to cram targets into a container the size of a wrist-watch isn't even [[HandWave hand waved]].
* AsLethalAsItNeedsToBe: The difference between killing someone with Thudslugs, punches or Zappflies and knocking them out is that a KO takes less damage. Stingbees and Fuzzles are always deadly, however.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Without fail, hostile targets will be leaders of their own gang. And without fail, they ''will'' all be ''much'' stronger than their minions. Of course, this could also be a case of AsskickingEqualsAuthority.
* AutomaticCrossbow: Stranger's crossbow goes full auto when he uses Stingbees.
* AxCrazy: Elboze Freeley and some other bosses are described as this. The Outlaw kamikazes are also insane.
* BadassAdorable: The Grubbs, and most if not all of the critters that Stranger uses as ammo.
* BadPowersBadPeople: [[spoiler: Sekto's power is controlling others by latching onto them.]]
* BagOfSpilling: A rare mid-game example: [[spoiler:After Stranger is captured, he is stripped of the upgrades he bought from the Clakkerz. He never gets them back, but [[DiscardAndDraw gets completely new upgrades from the Grubbs]].]]
* BattleBolas: Bolamites, which are spiders that, when fired from Stranger's crossbow, [[AllWebbedUp wrap enemies up in webbing]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin like a Bola]].
* BeeBeeGun: Stranger uses stingbees as machine-gun bullets. Later on, he acquires Sniper Wasps for those hard to reach targets.
* BigBad: [[spoiler:Mr. Sekto.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:The Grubbs caused a distraction in D. Caste Raider's hideout in order to free the captured Stranger and give him a fighting chance.]]
* BittersweetEnding: Stranger defeats Sekto and the Grubbs successfully bring down Sekto Springs Dam. However, [[spoiler:the last Steef, which Sekto was using as a host, passes away as the river is un-dammed, and Sekto himself is able to escape in the confusion.]]
* BlackMarket: In one of the later towns, there is a hidden black market on the second floor of a building, and gaining access requires knowing the password from a Clakker. It sells some more powerful items than your local merchant.
* BountyHunter: Stranger. Bounty Hunting appears to be a well-recognized and pursued profession - there are specific stores in every town just for turning in bounties.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler:The original river guardian Steef.]]
* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler: Sekto, whose true form is a helpless squid, swimming in the very river he dammed.]]
* CatchPhrase: Stranger has one or two.
-->"Dead 'r alive, yer ass is comin' with me."
* CattlePunk: Most of the early game has a heavy western feel. In fact, every building you can go into in the towns has saloon-style doors.
* ContinuityNod: There are a few references to the main games in the series:
** A few species from the main series are present: Fuzzles are used as ammo, Doc is a Vykker, and, in the [[UpdatedRerelease HD remake]], the Wolvark Sloghandlers release Slogs as opposed to Slegs.
** Hidden throughout the HD remake are [=RuptureFarms=] barrels filled with Mudokon Pops. Finding and smashing them all nets the player a trophy/achievement.
** Also in the HD remake are some hidden bottles of Butt-Flo laxative. Fittingly, they're located above the Wolvark Barracks bathroom. Again, finding this stash nets the player a trophy/achievement.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: [[spoiler:Mr. Sekto.]]
* CutsceneBoss: Blisterz Booty, who gets captured in the first cutscene of the game. All you have to do is bounty him.
* DeadCharacterWalking: If the player enables the invincibility cheat code but then falls into a fan, they will remain able to move and attack as a continuous fountain of LudicrousGibs.
* DeadGuyOnDisplay: The Wolvarks string up some dead Grubbs outside their first facility, possibly as a warning or a threat.
* DieselPunk: Some of the later settings in the game have this feel, but it's nowhere near as prevalent as in the other ''Oddworld'' games.
* DoesntLikeGuns: Stranger.
* DualBoss: The two Gloktigi.
* {{Epigraph}}: The game ends with this quote:
-->''"There is a road in the hearts of all of us.\\
Hidden and seldom traveled.\\
Which leads to an unknown secret place."''
--->-- '''Chief Luther Standing Bear\\
Sioux Nation (1868-1939)'''
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Doc.
* EverythingIsTryingToKillYou: [[spoiler:The Clakkerz turn against Stranger after he's revealed as a Steef since they now want to collect on ''his'' bounty.]]
* EvilMatriarch: Jo' Momma.
* EvilPoacher: Lefty Lugnutz.
* EvilSoundsDeep: A good number of the Outlaw bosses (and [[spoiler:Mr. Sekto]]) [[InvokedTrope invoke]] this.
* FangsAreEvil: Every single Outlaw's got 'em.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Grubbs are oppressed Native Americans while the Clakkerz are redneck settlers.
* AFateWorseThanDeath / AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:The Olden Steef being used as Sekto's host.]]
* FeatherFingers: Clakkerz.
* FisticuffsBoss: D. Caste Raider ([[AllThereInTheManual otherwise unnamed in-game]]) who captures [[spoiler: Stranger]].
* FictionalCurrency: Moolah. Also counts as a GlobalCurrency.
* FlunkyBoss: Most bosses will call out a few more {{Mook}}s at certain points in their fights. At the least, most start out with a small group of enemies backing them up.
* ForTheEvulz: Most of the Outlaws don't seem to have too many reasons for their antics, and there appears to be no motive for [[spoiler:Doc's murder]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** [[spoiler:When Stranger enters the Bounty Office for the first time, he says he needs Doc to "fix a problem" ''as he scratches his leg.'']]
** Blisterz, if taunted in his cell, will both mention his brother coming to town to bust him out and grumbling about "...whatever the hell [Stranger] is." The former is the event that ends the Gizzard Gulch segment of the game. [[spoiler:The latter is the first hint that Stranger is something out of place.]]
** Eugene Ius, after being rescued, proceeds to tell Stranger about the Grubbs' legend of their Steef guardian and the "demon" Oktigi. Eugene ignorantly shoots the Grubbs' beliefs down, but it all turns out to be very important later.
** Stranger runs faster on all fours, as opposed to most bipedal creatures not being very good at four-legged running. [[spoiler:As he's a Steef, which are centaurs, he'd naturally feel more at home on four legs]].
* GaidenGame: ''Stranger's Wrath'' is completely outside the quintology, acting as a spin-off of sorts to expand the ''Oddworld'' backstory.
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: Appropriate that Stranger runs faster on all fours, since [[spoiler:he's a Steef, which are centaurs, which are four legged]].
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: The Stranger needs at least 20,000 Moolah in order to pay the Doc for a surgery... But even though you do manage to have that amount by limiting your spendings, [[spoiler:Stranger doesn't visit the doctor again until a certain point in the game. By that point, your efforts are AllForNothing and MoneyForNothing as well, since the Doc got killed]].
* GlassCannon: [[spoiler:Stranger in the latter half of his game, where he's stripped of his upgrades after being outed as a Steef. Without the outfit that restricts his real form, Stranger, now a Steef has faster movement, deals more damage to enemies, while the vice-versa applies, enemies deal more damage to him. However, he later gains greater ammo and armour upgrades, and the fact that he's no longer a bounty hunter means that he's less compelled to keep enemies alive.]]
* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler:The Olden Steef.]]
--> It's free... free... free...
* GreenAesop: [[spoiler:The Grubbs' fight against Sekto and his company has this kind of message - Water should be free for all.]]
* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: The Outlaws aren't exactly smart. Hide in the reeds for two seconds and they'll lose track of you. AI aside, the Outlaws are pretty stupid as a rule.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler:The first thing that Stranger does when he's revealed as a Steef is to kill D. Caste Raider and his gang with his bare hands.]]
* HesBack: [[spoiler:After being captured, humiliated, outed as a Steef, losing all his gear, and being chased out of town, Stranger then gets his bow back, new awesome armor, and full ammo upgrades from the Grubbs.]]
* HillbillyHorrors: Western Mudos, where ''Stranger's Wrath'' is set.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: When D. Caste Raider captures and reveals the Stranger as a Steef, the Stranger actually proves to be a more powerful GlassCannon than he was in his former two-legged bounty hunter attire. Case in point, Stranger gets to kill D. Caste Raider and his goons with just his bare hands in just a few punches each.
* JustYouAndMeAndMyGuards: Filthy Hands Floyd, Boilz Booty, Jo' Momma, Packrat Palooka, X'plosives [=McGee=], Lefty Lugnutz and Fatty [=McBoomBoom=] all have their gang supporting them during their fights, Looten Duke first runs off after encountering him and has some Outlaw Mortars attack you which you need to kill before he actually fights you, and Meagly Mcgraw comes riding in on a large outlaw named Tiny which you have to kill before you can damage and bounty Meagly.
* KnightOfCerebus: [[spoiler:Sekto]] is far, far more sinister and monstrous than the previous ''Oddworld'' villains, most of whom were played with varying degrees of comedy (with the possible exception of Molluck). This is made clear by his unsettlingly deep, raspy voice, the fact that he hunted an entire species to near-extinction purely to have their decapitated heads as trophies, and the fact that he is of a race that [[PuppeteerParasite utilises host bodies to survive on land]].
* LargeAndInCharge: Every boss is always bigger than their minions.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: At least one blog entry on the official ''Oddworld'' website outright mentions that [[spoiler:Stranger is a Steef.]]
* LightningBruiser: Stranger.
* LittleNo: Stranger utters a few as his medical file falls to the floor, which reveals to D. Caste Raider that Stranger is a Steef.
* LoadBearingBoss: In the finale, [[spoiler:Sekto's defeat also causes the dam to collapse]].
* LoneWolfBoss: The only bosses who work for [[spoiler:Sekto]] are D. Caste Raider and the Gloktigi. Everyone else is their own villain.
* MadBomber: X'plosives [=McGee=].
* MundaneMadeAwesome: The Mortar Outlaws are archetypes that you rarely get to see in other video games. Imagine this - a mortar cannon strapped to your back, that you can manually fire by doing a slow hands-down motion with both arms.
* MoneyForNothing:
** There isn't nearly enough to buy to make you run out of cash, even if you capture major bounties dead. [[spoiler:Especially because once Stranger gets captured and outed, you never use Moolah again. Currency also stops dropping from that specific point until the end of the game.]]
** It IS actually possible to have [[GameplayAndStorySegregation 20,000 Moolah by the time you go visit the Doc]], you just need to plan your spendings.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Doc is a Vykker, who were previously featured as gleefully sadistic and amoral MadScientist species running a corrupt R&D company that happily sacrifices their customers in the name of profits. Doc, on the other hand, runs a legitimate healthcare service and maintains strict doctor/patient confidentiality, even when he could've profited by breaking it. The worst he does is price gouging Stranger for what is an admittedly very complicated operation.
* NaturalWeapon: Later in the game, Stranger gets upgrades to his punches and charging attacks.
* NiceHat: Stranger and a lot of the Outlaws. Doc wears a tattered top hat. Some of the Clakkerz sport headgear as well.
* NoNameGiven[=/=]OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Stranger, who seems to be called such by the Clakkerz only because they don't know what else to call him. Also, following TheReveal, the Grubbs refer to him simply as [[spoiler:Steef.]] His real name is never revealed. [[spoiler: Since Steef are noted to not normally be able to speak, it's entirely possible he doesn't even have one.]]
* NonMammalMammaries: Grubbs are a salamander-esque species, yet their females have breasts.
* {{Outlaw}}: Your enemies for the first half of the game are outright named outlaws, and the ordinary resident Clakkerz are afraid of them.
* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: To get access to the Black Market, Stranger has to ask around town for the password, which turns out to be [[spoiler:Molasses]]. When he actually finds the shop, Stranger ends up mangling the password [[spoiler:"Um, a mole's ass?"]], but the owner decides that it's close enough and lets him in.
* PermanentlyMissableContent: The Binoculars. Hope you bought them back in Gizzard's Gulch because you'll need them to use the Sniper Wasps [[GuideDangIt much later in the game]].
* PersonalSpaceInvader: Several ammo types. [[spoiler: Then there's Sekto...]]
* PlayerNudge: In one of the later towns, a female Clakker would occasionally spout things about a "BlackMarket" whenever you pass by her. Talking to her clues you on its existence and the password required to enter.
* PowerFist: Stranger can buy sets of increasingly deadly brass knuckles at certain points in the game.
* PrisonRape: Looten Duke fears being in a jail cell with Blisterz Booty again.
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: This happens a lot when you get the upgraded knuckles.
* PunnyName: Eugene Ius[[note]]"You Genius"[[/note]], Jo' Momma[[note]]"Yo momma"[[/note]] and Frayda Evryting[[note]]"Afraid of everything"[[/note]].
* PuppeteerParasite: The Oktigi race, of which [[spoiler:Sekto]] is one.
* PuzzleBoss: Many of the major Outlaws are this.
** Packrat Palooka requires you to shut off his shield and somehow knock him off his stage.
** Elboze Freely has an obvious weak point on his back, and only shows it if you're above him out of his range.
* RecurringBoss: You fight a total of four Gloktigi.
* TheReveal:
** Comes midway through the game, when [[spoiler:Stranger is outed as a Steef]].
** And at the end, when it turns out that [[spoiler:Sekto's host body was the Olden Steef.]]
* RewardingVandalism: A lot of minor environmental objects are destructible. Barrels to be specific, are some of the most common objects that you can break for Moolah.
* RocketJump: Fatty [=McBoomBoom=]'s verticle slide attack has him launch a rocket at his feet to propel himself into you. [[FatBastard All three hundred pounds of him.]]
* RunningOnAllFours: Stranger will drop to all fours if he runs for long enough. Halfway later in the game, [[spoiler:his headbutt move turns into a ramming attack on all fours as a Steef]].
* SequelHook: [[spoiler:Sekto is defeated but still alive, and escapes into the river.]]
* ShamefulStrip: Stranger, after he gets [[spoiler: captured by Outlaws when he goes upriver from Mongo Valley.]]
* ShirtlessScene: Stranger gets one later into the game. [[spoiler:Involuntary though, as he gets captured and stripped by Outlaws.]]
* ShortRangeShotgun: Don't expect Bola Blasts or Riotslugs to do much beyond short range.
* SmellySkunk: Stunkz, whose huge green gas clouds are perfect for paralyzing huge groups of enemies.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Jo' Mamma is the only female Outlaw seen in-game.
* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: The Outlaws you fight get tougher over time, but this actually does make sense [[FridgeBrilliance when you think about it.]] When you move from town to town, you're always going somewhere bigger, ending in a major port and city. Naturally, the Outlaws that could threaten a larger town would be stronger and have bigger power bases.
* SpikesOfVillainy: Some Outlaws wear metal armor covered in spikes. Stranger's melee attacks are [[KungFuProofMook useless against them]]. Go ahead, try punching one, and see how ''you'' take damage and be stunned instead.
* SpreadShot: The Bola Blast and Riotslug both do this, one with webs that disable enemies and one with slugs that function like shotgun pellets.
* SuperDrowningSkills: {{Mook}}s have them. Stranger [[SuperNotDrowningSkills does not]].
* ThrowingTheDistraction: Thanks to Chippunks and Howler Punks, this trope has never been easier.
* TimedMission: One of the final sections gives you 3 minutes to [[spoiler:run through and climb the collapsing inner structures of a dam.]]
* TomatoSurprise: [[spoiler:It's revealed the Stranger is the last Steef, and his "mysterious, confidential operation" is an attempt to make him permanently bi-pedal so to prevent others hunting him for the high Steef bounty.]]
* ToiletHumour:
** In the Wolvark Barracks, two Wolvarks are locked in the toilets evidently suffering from... terrible digestive problems, to put it mildly (apparently due to eating too much Fuzzle Pie).
** After Stranger captures Filthy Hands Floyd, a Clakker can be heard saying "[[BringMyBrownPants I think I messed my drawers...]]" Immediately afterwards, another one staggers out of a different trailer holding his nose and yelling "Billy! Hoo-damn it stinks in there!"
* TrashTalk: Enemies will taunt and mock you every time they land a melee attack.
* UpdatedRerelease: There's an HD remake available for PC and the [=PS3=].
* UniqueEnemy: Outlaw Flamers, of which only 5 appear in Xplosives [=McGee=]'s mission normally, though it is possible for up to 8 more to appear as reinforcements in Packrat Palooka's boss fight when he is below half health. There are also the Outlaw Hunters, of which only a small group appears at the beginning of the Mongo Wilds and 2 or 3 more during Lefty Lugnutz' battle, and none of them can be captured alive.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential:
** Attacking the Clakkerz is understandable, since they drop Moolah and they're rude to you anyway. [[spoiler:But the ''Grubbs''? Who not only ''don't'' drop Moolah, but ''apologize'' when you bump into them and ''worship you as their savior?'' That's pretty cold.]]
** The second town has a deadly mechanism that can squash someone flat to LudicrousGibs. You can potentially kill the resident Clakkerz permanently via [[BlownAcrossTheRoom luring and punching them through the device]], and/or webbing them up so they can't escape from their death.
** It's to the point where there's a trophy in the [=PS3=] version that requires you murder a farmer.
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: If you terrorize the Clakkerz enough, they'll retreat into their houses and start shooting at you. You'll need to hide somewhere, and eventually, the residents will give up and come back to town as if nothing happened.
* VillainExitStageLeft: [[spoiler: Following his defeat, Sekto swims off in the now-un-dammed river.]] It's somewhat justified however, as [[spoiler: 1). Stranger wasn't aware of Sekto's 'true form', and 2). he and the Grubbs were generally rather distracted by TheReveal of Sekto's abandoned host body: the previous guardian Steef.]]
* WalkItOff: Stranger's method of regaining health is to literally shake off the pain and injury. Enemies' darts may stick on his body, but this healing mechanic makes them fall off on the floor instead.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler:Doc]] dies even before [[spoiler:he gets to perform the supposed surgery to the Stranger]].
* WeakButSkilled: Stranger is described as [[spoiler:"kinda shrimpy for a Steef"]], but he sure is good with that crossbow.
* WeaponOfChoice: A crossbow and his fists for Stranger. Most of the outlaw bosses have their own as well- Packrat Palooka uses missiles and Lefty Lugnutz uses a hunting rifle, just to name a few.
* WireDilemma: From the opposite direction, a pair of Outlaws are trying to arm a bomb, bickering about whether the blue or green button sets the timer. [[spoiler:It's the blue one, but since Outlaws are [[JustForPun criminally]] [[StuffBlowingUp stupid]]...]]
* WhamEpisode: Comes midway through the game. [[spoiler:Stranger is able to visit Doc again to discuss his surgery - unfortunately, Doc has been hanged, Stranger gets captured, and is revealed to be a Steef.]]
* XtremeKoolLetterz: Clakkerz.
* YourMom: Invoked with [[PunnyName Jo' Mamma]], to the point that Stranger turns everything says with regards to her into a dirty joke.
--> '''Stranger:''' [[DoubleEntendre Jo' Mamma ain't gonna last long with me on her tail]]. Heh heh.
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